Five of the six jurors voted to convict Ross, 36, of first-degree sexual assault and first-degree kidnapping, but the sixth held out.
Since then, Ross has fired another lawyer, rejected a plea offer, insisted again on defending himself, and tried to get his trial judge removed.
Tuesday, as jury selection was about to begin in his second trial, Ross asked for a delay. Judge Julia D. Dewey denied that request. Ross then refused to change from his orange prison-issue jumpsuit into regular clothing, and then refused to participate further in the trial. He was then removed the courtroom.
Before he left, though, Dewey told him the trial would go forward without him.
Prosecutor Thomas Garcia and defense attorney Aaron J. Romano, whom Dewey moved from standby to full counsel on Tuesday, then began picking a jury.
Romano also tried Tuesday to delay the trial, but Dewey rejected the motion. He also raised a question about Ross’ competence to stand trial. Ross had been examined previously and was found competent to stand trial.
“It’s not a competency issue,” Dewey told the lawyers. “It’s a control issue. He’s not in control, and he wants to be in control.”
Ross, a native of Jamaica who has been jailed since his arrest Nov. 27, 2009, also faces charges in New Britain. U.S. Immigration and Customs enforcement has also placed an immigration detainer on Ross.
Before his arrest, Ross had addresses in New Britain and Bloomfield.
Ross is accused of taking a prostitute from Hartford to an area behind a business along Route 6, then raping her while threatening her with what he said was a gun. His DNA was recovered from the crime scene, his victim identified him as her attacker during his trial, and police matched tire tracks left during the attack to Ross’ Nissan Maxima.
There were several unusual moments during the 2011 trial as Ross questioned witnesses.
During an exchange with the victim, Ross asked, “Do you recognize the person who was with you that night?” Yes, she responded.
“Where is he?” Ross asked.
“Talking to me right now,” the victim responded.
While questioning Farmington Det. John Beaulieu, who investigated the attack, Ross asked Beaulieu when he got involved in the case. “It would have been Nov. 27, the day you were taken into custody,” the detective responded.
Under questioning by Garcia, Beaulieu described his interview with Ross that night, when police found him with a prostitute from Hartford behind the Route 6 business where two previous rapes had occurred. Ross is on trial for a rape that occurred Nov. 22, 2009.
Beaulieu told Garcia that when he questioned Ross, he told him DNA had been recovered from the victim assaulted on Nov. 22. Ross replied, “If they find my DNA, it’s not my DNA.”
By David Owens, Hartford Courant